10.26.2010

Lena and I are going to start knitting baby sweaters. Her baby is due in December, and he needs some snuggly, warm knits. I've never made any baby sweaters before, only baby booties. I found some cute patterns on Ravelry, only I can't really decide which one to make. What do you think?

Jenny, the Harvey Kimono is my favorite, and looks like it would be super easy to get an infant into and out of, which could be a plus considering how often babies spit up, and need to be changed! Also, with sensitive parts like a healing umbilical cord or anything else, you wouldn't want anything too heavy on the body. As adorable as the hooded items are, they might be a lot of weight on a little guy's neck.

I started knitting the Debbie Bliss ribbed baby jacket a while ago for a friend of mine and ran out of steam, mostly because I didn't love the yarn I had chosen and the sweater was shaping up weird. If you decide to go with that one, this schematic is very helpful for conceptualizing how the H shaped item you are knitting will become a sweater! http://redshirtknitting.com/?p=21

I highly recommend Malabrigo yarn if you are feeling splurgey--it's washable, very warm and snuggly, and a dream to work with.

hoods are great with babes (no messing with hats), so #4 is my first pick. plus, the double-breastedness is awesome.but the shawl collar on number three is pretty awesome, too. like a little man. a little j.crew man. with great taste in sweaters.

I've also made Manda Ruth by Jane Richmond - which is adorable. And easily adapted via colour choice for a boy or girl. Here is the link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/manda-ruth

The simpler the design and the more classic looking, the better I've found when knitting for babies and toddlers.

I'm looking forward to my Tova pattern as well :) Will have to wait a bit longer for the shipping to Australia though. Yay! Thanks for working so hard on getting them out to us. Very appreciated, Jenny!

The duffle coat seems perfect for a baby. Super snuggly with the hood, easy to pull on, not too many buttons to fiddle with and it is adorable. Love the mustard cardigan too. Making things for tiny people is so fun.

The baby sophisticate and the duffle coat are that great old-man style that i love on babies. I would definitely go with things that button as I always found slipping sweaters over wobbly heads a bit nerve wracking. I wish they made these patterns in my size! I'll have to go hunting.

I love the Debbie Bliss and Sublime patterns for classic, baby clothes. However, if you know that your recipient's child is going to be a girl, I can't recommend Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Sweater enough! It's amazing, easy pattern with gorgeous results. I've knit it half a dozen times and it's always a hit.

Here's one of mine:http://lepetithibou.blogspot.com/2008/03/je-mappelle-speedy-gonzales.html

Am making the baby sophisticate for my little girl. It knits up super quick & is so cute. Using Jill Eaton Minnow Merino & love it.Also recommend the easy baby cardi from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts, & the pointy elf hat from the same book.

I would recommend not hooded items for a really tiny baby (he'll need hats, sure, but a hood can get in the way a lot) - and cardigans or kimonos for the tiny sizes so they don't have to go over his head. You definitely don't need to worry at all about him chewing the buttons off until he's quite big, in fact I have had all three of my babies in cardigans throughout with no problem (I just keep an eye on them!). Kimono styles are nice as she can put the baby on his tummy, and he won't be lying on the buttons, but so long as you choose flats ones then regular car dies are great.

I love the duffle coat very much, I knitted one for my nephew and he wore it so much, but i did not do the hood that's right, it's not very convenient for a newborn or very little one. You're such a great knitter, i'm sure the sweater you'll make will be perfect. :)

i always love stripes on babies, but i avoided pullovers for my kids when they were infants since it made it hard to get on and off. i made a hoodie for my daughter, but found that we didn't wear it very often because the hoodie needed to be on her head or otherwise bunched up behind her head, which got in the way. ah, this is making me so nostalgic!

I've made Baby Sophisticate for my baby boy in 2 sizes - super fast and super cute. I also made the placket pullover and love it. Also look into the baby surprise sweater ... so warm and cozy and an interesting exercise is shaping. That's my vote!

I've made the placket-neck pullover before and it turned out really cute. The chunky yellow and blue on the bottom are pretty sweet, however, I agree regarding hoods, so maybe number 1? A tough decision-but so fun and rewarding to knit. :)

hooded jumpers are great since it omits the need for a separate hat which newborns almost always seems to need regardless of which season they are born in... and hats seem to fall over the eyes and need pulling back up but hoodies dont have that issue... maybe the double breasted might be fiddly to close?...me think the last blue one..just like the ones I used on my 3 babies! x

although i have none experience what so ever dressing a little child, i think the kimono style sweater works best. i bet you can easily put it on and off and if the baby lays on the belly - there are no disturbing buttons in the way.